Castleride to the cakes

Some are racing CX in Gothenburg, some are travelling, some work. For us still in Stockholm we are thankful for Martin’s Taxinge plans.

Was 12 riders gathered at Liljeholmen this morning ready to ride to Taxinge castlecafé.

After 20km and after chasing back after I dropped my bottle I felt a bit cooked and took place behind the group aiming to hang on, a great group:

After Södertälje it felt better and I went around with everyone else the rest of the ride 🙂

After 61km we finally arrived to this:

Wasn’t alone:

With me trying to be a bit absent-minded when Johan took pictures:

Ending this photoserie with a picture of my Crux kited for road with my S-Works crankset and Roval CLX64 wheels. Only alu bike in our group 😉

Map and stats: Strava

The new Crux!

13 months ago I got a Specialized Crux Elite X1. Was a great cxbike but I gave up and went gravelgrinding with a Specialized Diverge Comp Carbon 3 months later.

This year my plan was Adventures, ride new roads and explore with Transferrides, Emileadventures and Basemilecamps. Wanted to follow the new hype. Specialized made the Sequoia which seemed perfect, who doesn’t want a cool fast steelbike made for everything? but it won’t arrive before the end of November…

So until that I got a Crux again 😉 Got a alu frameset, alu handlebar and a used Sram Red crankset with a Garbaruk Melon chainring. Borrowed a couple of awesome custom Roval wheels and got a pair of cheap Chinawheels which are waiting for tires and a cassette. Took the Force1 parts from my Tarmac, got a saddle and mounted it all together.

It may not be the flashiest Cyclocross in Stockholm but it’s really good for the money. After all the thing you’re after is the geometry and framestyle for the your riding and Specialized knows their cyclocross 😀

Thanks to Specialized Concept Store Stockholm and specially Patrik who let me borrow his wheels and gave me a saddle 🙂

And the weight then: 8,16kg, don’t think it will be so much lighter with the new wheels but maybe some as I’m changing QR and rotors too. Now I’m ready for autumn

Engage by AX-Lightness

Sometimes I save some money on bike parts and buy cheaper things. I would have dreamt about a seatpost and stem from AX-Lightness which is my favourite weightweenie brand but it’s too expensive for me. But with same research at a bit lower price I got Engage which was AX-Lightness Asienproduced brand. It’s not existing anymore but still it’s possible to find some parts. Like a Torque stem:

90mm and it came with lighter bolts 🙂

Mounted it together with my new expander. On my Allez I use an Extralite Ultrastar expander and Extralite topcap, probably the lightest combo but it also costs a bit and the top cap isn’t the best looking. So for 2016 I’m using the genius Cannondale expander which is pretty light to be as good as it is 😀

28g lighter than the original one. Great weight saving.

Mounted and set up together with my Engage Revit seatpost from my Allez:

(will change the tires) and will cut the fork a little more as I now know how to set up the bike.

Biggest question is, should I use Specialized S-Works bottle cages or is there something lighter and as good as them? Black or White cages?

BMX in Oslo or a lighter seatpost?

Starting with a BMX video, Oslo Calling:

And then I have mounted my Engage seatpost, or first I cut 9cm of it 🙂

From the 283g original to this 129g, pretty good weightsaving 🙂

Now just to get a good Body Geometry fit on it and maybe try it for real outside before the spring 🙂 6,34kg will be awesome. Maybe am changing for a little heavier wheelset and a pair of Vittoria Corsa SC 25mm tires, we’ll see when the spring comes.

Engage Revit, the final piece

When everything on my roadbike is light except one thing it’s that thing that have to be changed. It doesn’t suit with a 283g seatpost friends laughing at on a 6,5kg bike. So now it’s getting a lot lighter. Like half weight:

Budget AX-Lightness, Engage Revit. And the seatpost is 400mm long (27,2mm diamter) which means I will cut it and save even more weight 🙂 It’s pretty hard to find a light seatpost with setback that doesn’t cost like my frameset, and want it glossy to match. This was the one I ended up with. Will mount it tomorrow 😀